Generic hardware and software platform for electronic devices in multimedia, graphics, and computing applications

Abstract

A generic hardware and software platform for electronic devices in multimedia, graphics, and computing applications are disclosed. In one embodiment, the generic hardware platform includes one of a single bus link or multiple bus link. Further, the generic hardware platform includes one or more of a power module, a processor, a memory device, a security engine, an environmental device, a man machine interface (MMI) device and a medical device coupled to the one of the single bus link or multiple bus link via an associated interface. Furthermore, the generic hardware platform includes one or more of a storage device, a video/image input device, a video/image output device, an audio input device, an audio output device, a location, position, and motion device, a wireless communication channel, a wired communication channel, and a timer coupled to the one of the single bus link or multiple bus link via an associated interface.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A generic hardware platform for electronic devices in multimedia, graphics, and computing applications, comprising:
 one of a single bus link or a multiple bus link;   one or more of a power module, a processor, a memory device, a security engine, an environmental device, a man machine interface (MMI) device and a medical device;   one or more of an interface to power module, an interface to processor, an interface to memory device, an interface to security engine, an interface to environmental device, an interface to MMI device and an interface to medical device coupled between an associated one of the power module, the processor, the memory device, the security engine, the environmental device, the MMI device and the medical device and the one of the single bus link or the multiple bus link;   one or more of a storage device, a video/image input device, a video/image output device, an audio input device, an audio output device, a location, position, and motion device, a wireless communication channel, a wired communication channel and a timer; and   one or more of an interface to storage device, an interface to video/image input/output (I/O) device, an interface to audio I/O device, an interface to location, position, and motion device, an interface to wireless communication channel, an interface to wired communication channel and an interface to timer coupled between an associated one of the storage device, the video/image input device, the video/image output device, the audio input device, the audio output device, the location, position, and motion device, the wireless communication channel, the wired communication channel and the timer and the one of the single bus link or the multiple bus link.   
     
     
         2 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the power module comprises at least one of an alternating current (AC) source, a direct current (DC) source, a power over Ethernet (PoE), and a battery, wherein the memory device comprises at least one of a NAND memory, a NOR memory, a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a OneNAND memory and a static random access memory (SRAM), wherein the environmental device comprises at least one of an ambient light sensor, a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor and wherein the security engine comprises a trusted platform module (TPM) defined by a Trusted Computing Group™. 
     
     
         3 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the processor comprises at least one of a general purpose processor (GPP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a video processing unit (VPU). 
     
     
         4 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the MMI device comprises at least one of an infrared (IR) remote, a Bluetooth® (BT) based universal serial bus (USB) mouse/keyboard, an IR based mouse/keyboard, a touch screen, a keypad, a gesture recognition device and a voice/speech recognition device and wherein the medical device comprises at least one of a personal health record, a glucometer, and a blood pressure monitor. 
     
     
         5 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the storage device comprises at least one of an USB based flash drive, a hard disk, a multimedia card (MMC), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC™), a secure digital (SD) card, a memory stick and a memory pro, wherein the video/image input device comprises at least one of a camera sensor and an analog/digital camera, wherein the video/image output device comprises at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a standard-definition television (SD TV), a high-definition television (HD TV) and a projector, wherein the audio input device comprises at least one of a microphone, an array microphone, and a line in source and wherein the audio output device comprises at least one of a speaker and an amplifier. 
     
     
         6 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the location, position and motion device comprises at least one of a gyroscope, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, and a digital compass, wherein the wireless communication channel comprises at least one of a wireless local area network (WLAN), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX™) and a 3 rd  generation (3G) network, wherein the wired communication channel comprises at least one of a copper communication channel, a fiber communication channel and an USB and wherein the timer comprises at least one of a watchdog timer and a real time clock. 
     
     
         7 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the interface to power module comprises at least one of an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) and a service provider interface (SPI™), wherein the interface to processor comprises at least one of an advanced microcontroller bus architecture (AMBA™) bus, a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe), and an advanced graphics port (AGP) and wherein the interface to memory device comprises at least one of a NAND interface, an asynchronous interface, a Motorola™ interface, an Intel™ interface, a synchronous interface and a double data rate (DDR) interface. 
     
     
         8 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the interface to video/image I/O device comprises at least one of a BT.656, a BT.6620, a high-definition serial digital interface (HD-SDI), a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI®), a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS), an USB, a separate video (S-video), and a video graphic array (VGA) and wherein the interface to audio I/O device comprises at least one of an integrated interchip sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulator (PCM) interface, an audio codec' 97 (AC97) interface, a HDMI®, a HD-SDI, an USB, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI), a PCIe, and a BT. 
     
     
         9 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the interface to storage device comprises at least one of an USB, a PCI, and a PCIe, wherein the interface to wireless communication channel comprises at least one of an USB, a secure digital input/output (SDIO), a compact flash (CF®), and an universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART), wherein the interface to wired communication channel comprises at least one of a media independent interface (MII), a gigabit media independent interface (GMII), a reduced gigabit media independent interface (RGMII), a serial gigabit media independent interface (SGMII), and an USB and wherein the interface to timer comprises at least one of an I2C, a SPI™ and register based interface. 
     
     
         10 . The generic hardware platform of  claim 1 , wherein the interface to location, position and motion device, the interface to MMI device, the interface to medical device, the interface to environmental device, and the interface to security engine comprise at least one of an I2C, a SPI™, an UART, and an USB. 
     
     
         11 . A generic software platform for electronic devices in multimedia, graphics, and computing applications, comprising:
 a hardware abstraction layer (HAL);   an operating system coupled to the HAL;   middleware coupled to the operating system; and   a plurality of applications coupled to the middleware.   
     
     
         12 . The generic software platform of  claim 11 , wherein the middleware comprises:
 a middleware application programming interface (API) layer;   a media engine coupled to the middleware API layer;   control and signaling stacks coupled to the middleware API layer;   a web browser framework coupled to the middleware API layer;   a user interface (UI) framework coupled to the middleware API layer; and   a graphics engine coupled to the middleware API layer.   
     
     
         13 . The generic software platform of  claim 12 , wherein the media engine comprises at least one of a video call module, a recording module, a player module and a streaming module and wherein the control and signaling stacks comprise at least one of a session initiation protocol (SIP) module, a real time streaming protocol (RTSP) module, a digital living network alliance (DLNA) module and a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP) module. 
     
     
         14 . The generic software platform of  claim 12 , wherein the web browser framework comprises at least one of a rendering engine module, a hypertext markup language (HTML) flash module and a plug-in API module, wherein the UI framework comprises at least one of a widget module, a user input controller module and an event handler module and wherein the graphics engine comprises at least one of a two dimension (2D) engine module, a three dimension (3D) engine module and an open graphics library (GL) API module. 
     
     
         15 . The generic software platform of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of applications comprises one or more interaction applications, one or more entertainment applications, one or more information applications and one or more user defined applications. 
     
     
         16 . The generic software platform of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more interaction applications comprises at least one of a chat application, a voice call application, a video call application and a social network application, wherein the one or more entertainment applications comprises at least one of a receive application, a share application, a record application and a stream application, wherein the one or more information applications comprises at least one of a ticker application, a really simple syndication (RSS) feed application and an e-book application and wherein the one or more user defined applications comprises at least one of applications to interact or interoperate with other electronic devices.